Twitter – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Twitter is now one of the largest social media networks on the Internet. “Tweeting” has become a global pastime for many social network users. The main difference between Twitter and other social networking sites is that it allows the user to connect to anyone, including celebrities, sports stars, or people that have similar interests as the user, without any pre-approval from the person to which the user desires to speak. It is a bit like going up to someone in the middle of the street whom you have never seen before and striking up a conversation. Some of the popular uses of Twitter include:

Microblogging – You can tell the world what you are doing, how your day is going, and where you are visiting.

Quick Answers – If you have a question about something, Tweeting it will get you instant answers.

Finding a Job – You can announce you are looking for a job, and many companies post their job opportunities on Twitter.

Keeping up with the News – Newspapers, magazines, and TV stations have all adopted Twitter, so you can keep track of the latest news and events.

Scream your Rage – It can be a platform to get things “off your chest.”

Keeping up with your Favorite Sports Team – Not only are many sports players on Twitter, you can keep up with millions of fans.

Allows businesses to create a “client database.” This database can be used to send out offers, new product releases, and also customer help and support.

Twitter has evolved to include the attachment of photos and links. It also gives the user the ability to “retweet,” transmitting a tweet from someone else to your followers. There are also services that offer Twitter in slightly different formats, UberSocial being one of them. These services offer customization and user-friendly features that Twitter itself does not.

However, you need to know how to use Twitter safely. We’ve all heard of Twitter accounts getting hacked. It happened to Ashton Kucher, Justin Bieber, Steve Wozniak, and numerous media outlets. Even regular folks can be compromised. We can’t ignore the fact that we share Twitter with spambots, cyber criminals, ex-spouses, etc. Here are a few tips to stay safe on Twitter:

Never re-use passwords.

Always delete password reset emails.

Never use the Auto-Complete and Save functions in Web browsers.

Always use complex passwords.

Always use SSL (https://) when accessing Twitter through a Web interface. You can enable this automatically in your Twitter Settings page.

Always monitor what you say and what your friends and loved ones tweet about you. Any written word can be used against you later.

Routinely monitor your followers. Spammers and porn-tweeters routinely “follow” just about everyone on Twitter, and those followers can raise an eyebrow for anyone researching your profile. Block those followers you don’t want on your page.

Visit the page of anyone you want to follow who has followed you. Read some of their posts before following; you’ll save yourself time and frustration by knowing something about the person who will be posting to your timeline.

Warning – Tweeting can be ADDICTIVE. Don’t forget the value of your “real world” social life. Your followers on Twitter are not your real friends.

For a thorough investigation call the experienced legal investigators at Complete Legal Investigations, Inc. at 561-687-8381.